MORENO VALLEY – It’s hard to hang on to a league title when you can’t hold on to the ball.

Moreno Valley’s high-powered offense got a few extra chances to perform Friday night when host Moreno Valley Vista del Lago lost five fumbles – including four in the first half – and the Vikings took advantage in turning a highly-anticipated Mountain Valley League championship clash into a 40-0 blowout.

The Vikings (10-0, 5-0 in the league) capped off an undefeated regular season and dethroned the defending-champion Ravens for their first MVL title and second league championship in three years.

“We just did something that MoVal has never done before and we just got to make history,” said Vikings running back BL Wayfer, who rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns. “All of us coming together and uniting as one is just a great feeling.”

Vista del Lago (8-2, 4-1) allowed a four-play touchdown drive, capped by an 11-yard pass from Damian Vega to David Anderson, on the Vikings’ first possession, but then settled in defensively and forced punts on the next two Moreno Valley series.

Unfortunately for the Ravens, that’s when the wheels fell off.

Kenneth Metcalf recovered a Vista del Lago fumble at the Ravens’ 18-yard line on the first play of Vista del Lago’s next drive and the Vikings cashed in immediately with an 18-yard Wayfer run for a 12-0 lead at the 1:41 mark of the first.

Three plays into Vista del Lago’s next possession, a ball came loose as a Ravens receiver was attempting to gain some yards after a catch and Devon Goss recovered to give the Vikings another short field at the Ravens’ 44. Anderson made a spectacular one-handed catch on another 11-yard Vega lob to the corner of the end zone to make it 20-0 with 9:35 left in the half.

The Vikings took complete control when the Ravens coughed it up once again on the ensuing kickoff return, leading to a 33-yard scoring drive completed by a short Wayfer run.

“Those turnovers kind of changed the game,” Vikings coach Ted Wadkins said. “We’re proud of our defense; they played lights out all year. They didn’t take care of the ball and that helped us win.”

The Ravens had an opportunity to make some inroads on the 28-0 halftime deficit when they recovered a Vikings fumble on the second-half kickoff return and later when Jordan Malcom intercepted Vega at the Ravens’ 21.

But both takeaways could only serve to halt the Vikings’ offense, as the Ravens could do nothing with either chance.

When not taking the ball away, the Vikings defense was all over the Ravens’ playmakers. They held Ravens running back John Lacy Jr., who entered the contest with more than 1,000 rushing yards, to just 60 yards.

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